Discharge apparatus for brush disintegrators and the like



April 1961 R. H. MAINONE 2,981,485

DISCHARGE APPARATUS FOR BRUSH DISINTEGRATORS AND THE LIKE Filed May 12, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR J I i Th: fiOZTZ HMZ7ZOh {I J: ,1: BY 6% ATTORNEY April 25, 1961 R. H. MAINONE DISCHARGE APPARATUS FOR BRUSH DISINTEGRATORS AND THE LIKE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 12, 1958 INVENTOR fi0erZ H//az'7z0?z e B a a.

ATTORNEY April 25, 1961 R. H. MAINONE 2,981,485

DISCHARGE APPARATUS FOR BRUSH DISINTEGRATORS AND THE LIKE Filed May 12, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet a INVENTOR BY (R QEM ATTORNEY April 25, 1961 R. H. MAINONE ,981,485

DISCHARGE APPARATUS FOR BRUSH DISINTEGRATORS AND THE LIKE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 12, 1958 INVENTOR BY 6kg KPM ATTORNEY United States DISCHARGE APPARATUS FOR BRUSH DISIN- TEGRATORS AND THE LIKE Filed May 12, 1958, Ser. No. 734,614 6 Claims. (11. 241-101 The present invention relates broadly to machinery,

.and in its specific phases to improvements in brush chipping and disintegrating machines.

Brush disintegrating machines are quite commonly employed by companies or individuals practicing tree trimming and the like. Such machines are known as brush chippers or grinders and they are commonly manufactured in trailer form for connection to and towing by a truck. The brush is fed into the machine where it is cut-- up and disintegrated by rotary knives; and the chips into which the brush is thus converted are blown out through a delivery pipe. employed of such form as to give straight delivery into a hopper type truck body. However, conditions are sometimes such as to make itdesirable or permissible to deliver the chips laterally onto the ground. It is therefore customary to have one straight-delivery pipe and one sidedelivery pipe and to bolt the required pipe to the machine. The pipes are rather heavy and cumbersome and two men .are required to attach either pipe or to substitute one for the other. .Then, too, when sharpening or replacing of the chipping knives is required, the services of two men are again necessary, to remove the delivery pipe and give access to the blades, and toreplace said pipe. It was a recognition of these problems and difficulties, and the complete lack of any commercial solution for same, which Ordinarily, a delivery pipe is atent led to the conception and development of the present blown from the casing of the machine, and an object of the invention has been to connect said sleeve with said casing by an ankle hinge and to connect said pipe with said sleeve by a knee hinge, thus permitting easy movement of the sleeve and the connected portion of the pipe to an out-of-the-way position when access must be had to the knives or other parts within the casing. Another object has been to provide a delivery pipe constructed for straight delivery of the chips into a hopper type truck body, or lateral delivery onto the ground, according to the; position of a switch plate.

A further object has been to provide a novel pivoted switch plate having a yieldable outer end to tightly seat :against the pipe when said switch plate occupies either ends, the invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the annexed drawings, and the following description setting forth in detail certain means for carrying out 2 the invention, such disclosed means illustrating, however, but one of various ways in which the principle of the invention may be used. i

In the annexed drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the side of the machine from which the chips may be laterally discharged.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the opposite. side of the machine, showing the discharge sleeve and the delivery pipe in operative relation with the casing.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing the discharge sleeve and connected end of the delivery pipe during movement to an out-of-the-way position, to give access to parts within the casing.

Figure 4 is a similar view showing the discharge sleeve and delivery pipe completely moved to their out-of-theway position.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substantially online ..5--5 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows and showing the switch plate in straight-delivery position.

Figure 6 is a similar view showing the switch plate in side delivery position.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary side view showing the manner of securing the discharge sleeve inoperative position.

Figure 8 is a perspective of the clamp forsecuring the delivery pipe in operative position.

A Wheeled trailer 10 is shown having a hitch 11 for connecting it with a truck or other towing vehicle. The trailer frame 12 is provided with a jack 13 at one end and an adjustable leg 14 at the other for coaction with the wheels 15 in supporting the trailer when unhitched.

A casing 16 is mounted at 17 on the rear end of the frame 12; and a hopper 13 is connected to said casing to receive the brush to be chipped. The casing 16 contains conventional chipping means including a rotary cutter 19, Figures 3 and 4, having chipping knives 20. A movably mounted relatively stationary member '21 is cooperable with the rotary cutter 19 for helping to feed the brush to same, and is yieldably held in operative position by conventional resilient means 22.

A power unit 23 is mounted on the trailer frame 12 in advance of the casing 16 and is belt-connected at 24 to therotary cutter 19 for driving the latter, This cutter disintegrates the brush and discharges a blast of air and chips from the casing through the inclined discharge sleeve 25 and delivery pipe 26 of the present invention. The upper corner portion of the lower end of the inclined discharge sleeve 25 is connected by an ankle hinge 27 to the casing 16; and the lower corner portion of the lower end of the inclined delivery pipe 26 is connected by a knee hinge 28 with the lower corner portion of the upper end of said inclined discharge sleeve 25.

The lower end of the discharge sleeve 25, Figure 3, extends normally between the vertical side plates 29 of the casing 16 and is provided with lateral arcuate flanges 3i) normally resting on the arched upper edges 31 of said side plates to limit downward swinging of the sleeve 25, as shown in Figures 2, and 7. A suitable latch 32 is cooperable with an eye 33 on the sleeve bottom to hold the sleeve against accidental upward swinging.

The upper end of the discharge sleeve 25,,Figure 2, extends normally into the lower end of the delivery pipe 26. This pipe inclines forwardly over the'power unit 23 and is normally held by a releasable embracing clamp 34 which is secured at 35 upon the housing of said power unit.

Whenever access must be had to the knives 20 or other parts within the casing 16, the clamp 34 is released and the latch 32 is released. Then, the lower end of the pipe 26 is lifted and moved rearwardly. During these movements, the ankle and knee actions afiorded by the ankle hinge 27 and knee hinge 28, allow the pipe 26 and discharge sleeve 25 to move to and past the position shown in Figure 3 and on to the position shown in Figure 4. When in this latter position, the sleeve 25 and pipe 26 are entirely out of the way insofar as gaining access to casing-contained parts is concerned.

The above described operations may be easily performed by one man. To facilitate them, a suitable handle 36, Figures 3 and 4, is provided. This handle may be formed bya continuation of the hinge pin of the knee hinge 28.

The upper end of the delivery pipe 26 has a conventional adjustable hood 37 to aid in distributing the delivered chips in the hopper body of a truck when straightthrough delivery is desired. However, the pipe 26 is provided with a lateral outlet 38, Figures 1, and 6, through-which the chips may be shunted if it be desired to deposit them onto the ground.

A switch plate 39, Figures 5 and 6, is pivotally mounted in the pipe 26 for movement from a longitudinal position in which it closes the lateral outlet 38, to an oblique position in which it will shunt the chips through said outlet 38. The switch plate 39 is secured to a shaft 40 which is pivotally mounted in conventional hearing openings in the top and bottom of the pipe 26. The shaft 40 projects above this pipe and has a lateral operating arm 41, Figures 1 and 2. To hold this arm in either of its two positions, a curved plate 42 is secured to the top of the pipe 26 and is provided with teeth 43 either of which may be engaged by said arm. The teeth 43 are so shaped as to upwardly spring the arm 41 as tooth engagement is about to occur, whereupon further movement of said arm will cause it to spring downwardly to tooth-engaging position and will remain in this position until upwardly sprung by hand.

The switch plate 39, Figures 5 and 6, is provided with a resiliently flexible outer end portion 44 to tightly seat against the pipe 26 when said switch plate occupies either of its positions. The final movement of the arm 41 to tooth-engaging position places the end 44 of the switch plate 39 under tension and said switch plate thus remains tightly in position without flutter and without danger of chips so striking said end 44 as to damage it.

The switch plate 39 is preferably formed from a single elongated sheet metal blank. This blank is folded upon itself on a transverse line, closer to one end of said blank than to the other. A two-ply construction is thus provided for the switch plate, with one of the plies 45 extending beyond the other ply 46 to form the flexible end portion 44. The two plies 45 and 46 are secured against each other, except at the bight 47, by rivets 48 or other suitable means. The shaft 40 extends through the bight 47 and is secured thereto by rivets 49 or other appropriate means.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that novel and advantageous provision has been disclosed for attaining the desired ends. However, attention is invited to the possibility of making variations within the spirit and scope of the invention as illustrated and described.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the apparatus and combinations herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. In a machine having a fixed casing from which a discharge blast occurs; a discharge sleeve through which said blast is conducted from said casing, a delivery pipe into which said blast is conducted by said discharge sleeve, an ankle hinge connecting one end of said discharge sleeve With said casing, a knee hinge connecting the other end of said discharge sleeve with said delivery pipe, and releasable means normally holding said discharge sleeve and delivery pipe in operative relation with said casing; whereby, upon release of said releasable means, the

4 ankle and knee actions afforded by said ankle and knee hinges will permit swinging movement of said discharge sleeve outwardly from said casing to give access to parts within said casing.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1, in which said releasable means includes a releasable clamp embracing said delivery pipe and stationarily mounted with respect to said pipe.

3. A structure as specified in claim 1, in which said casing includes side walls between which said one end of said discharge sleeve is normally received, said side walls having arched upper edges, said discharge sleeve having arcuate lateral flanges normally seated upon said arcuate edges.

4. A structure as sepcified in claim 1, wherein said delivery pipe has a lateral outlet for lateral delivery when desired, a pivoted switch plate mounted in said pipe and swingable from one position in which it closes said lateral outlet to a second position in which it will shunt material from said pipe into said lateral outlet, and means for holding said switch plate in either of said positions.

5. In a brush disintegrating and chip discharging machine having a wheeled trailer, a casing mounted on the rear portion of said trailer and containing a brush chipping cylinder, a power unit mounted on said trailer in advance of said casing and connected with said cylinder for driving the latter, the combination therewith of a discharge sleeve mounted on said casing and having an inlet and an outlet through which the brush chips are discharged from said casing, said discharge sleeve being inclined forwardly from said casing, a delivery pipe connected to the outlet of said sleeve and into which the brush chips are conducted by said discharge sleeve,

said delivery pipe being forwardly inclined and extending over said power unit, an ankle hinge pivotally connecting the lower end of said discharge sleeve with said casing, a knee hinge pivotally connecting the upper end of said discharge sleeve with the lower end of said delivery pipe, said connections of said sleeve with said cylinder at one end and with said delivery pipe on the other providing a continuous chip passageway, and a clamp mounted on said power unit and embracing said delivery pipe to hold said pipe and said sleeve in operative position, whereby, upon release of said clamp, the ankle and knee actions afforded by said ankle and knee hinges will permit swinging movement of said discharge sleeve outwardly from said casing to give access to said cylinder.

6. In a brush disintegrating and chip discharging machine having a trailer for connection with a truck having a body for the reception of chips, brush disintegrating means mounted on said trailer and having a forwardly inclined deliverly pipe for delivering brush chips from said disintegrating means into the truck body, the combination therewith wherein said delivery pipe has both an end outlet and a lateral outlet through which the chips may be delivered laterally if desired, a pivoted switch plate mounted in said delivery pipe in position to close said lateral outlet when swung to one position and to shunt the chips into said lateral outlet when swung to another position, and releasable means for pivotally mounting and holding said switch plate in either of said positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,754,729 Traver Apr. 15, 1930 1,351,034 Blatter Mar. 29, 1932 1,960,836 Yender May 29, 1934 2, 46,286 Zakel Mar. 27, 1951 ,705,597 Erickson Apr. 5, 1955 ,712,905 Sandor July 12, 1955 6 6 Hetteen Dec. 23, 1958 

